Process of removing seed-containing sections from half fruit



Aug. 24, 1943.

v '3 Sheets-Sheet l Q, J9 J9 19 'a P119 J7 I Q1 19 15' l 9 I, r a 3 1 c M. EWALD REMOVING SEED-CONTAINING PROCESS OF SECTIONS FROM HALF FRUIT Original Filed May 28, 1932 3 t 5 2 Aug. 24, 1943.

M. EWALD 2,327,343 PROCESS OF REMOVING SEED-CONTAINING SECTIONS FROM HALF FRUIT Original Filed Hay 28, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Aug. 24, 1943.

Patented Aug. 24, 1943 PROCESS OF REMOVING SEED-CONTAINING SECTIONS FROM HALF FRUIT Mark Ewald, Olympia, Wash., assignor to Special Equipment Company, Portland, Oreg., a corporation of Oregon Original application May 28, 1932, Serial No. 614,062. Divided and this application January 29, 1938, Serial No. 187,690

11 Claims. (01.146-219) This invention relates to a process for removing the seed-containing section of a half fruit, and more specifically to a process of coring half pears.

This application is a division of my prior filed application, Serial No. 614,062, filed May 28', 1932, entitled Fruit cutting apparatus which has matured into Patent No. 2,231,002 granted Feb. 11, 1941.

Among the objects of the present invention are to provide a process for removing the seedcontaining section of a half pear by forming an arcuate cut, and preferably a truly circular cut, concentrically about a stationary axis corresponding to the stem axis at the cut face of the half pear, to remove the core proper and also the long, tough stem threads joining the stem to the core proper of a half pear, by forming a single, continuous arcuate cut beginning and ending at the cut face of the half pear, which cut is formed or generated about an axis corresponding substantially to the stem axis of the half pear; simultaneously to sever the core proper and the long, tough threads that join it to the stem of a half pear; simultaneously to remove the core proper, such threads and also the calyx or blossom of a half fruit, particularly a half pear; simultaneously to remove the core proper, such threads and also the blossom of a half pear by a single out; to form by a single cut a continuous, semicylindrical channel of variant cross sectional size at the cut face of a half pear coextensive with and substantially at the stem axis of the half pear, the cross sectional diameter of the out being greatest at the core proper, being relatively smaller and uniform from one end of the core proper to the stem end, the opposite end of the core proper progressively tapering in diameter to the minimum cross sectional area of the channel, and thence flaring outwardly to a diameter larger than that portion of the channel which is of uniform diameter, whereby to remove in a single continuous severing operation all of the undesirable portions of the half pear while leaving the maximum amount of edible flesh of the half pear; to provide a quicker process for coring a half pear by turning the pear about its stem axis in one direction while forming an arcuate line of severance about such axis but in the opposite direction whereby completely to core the half pear and/or sever the stem strings and/or the calyx during a forty-five degree angular movement of the pear and the coring means; to provide a process for coring and discharging a half pear from a fruit holding means,

own stem axis while producing relative turning I movement about such axis between the half pear and cutting means likewise mounted for turning about such axis whereby not only to completely sever the core of the half fruit and/or to substantially invert the half fruit and, discharge it from its holding means; to provide these and other objects of invention as will beapparent from a perusal of the following specification when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: I

Fig. 1 is a plan view of one form of mechanism for carrying out my improved process;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the driving means for the coring device, showing a portion thereof in cross section and taken on line 22 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of one element of the device taken along the longitudinal axis thereof, as indicated by line 3-3 of Fig. l;

Fig. lis a lateral section passing conjointly through one or the fruit cups of the machine and an associated coring element, illustrating the movement of the half fruit and coring mechanism during a phase of the process; and

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are views showing the half fruit as cored by my improved process.

For the purpose of exemplifying my process, I have illustrated the same in connection with an apparatus which includes an intermittently operable turret provided with a plurality of means for holding half fruits. It is to be understood, however, that the process by its very nature is not so limited but may be practiced in any desired manner.

The invention is concerned primarily with a process for removing the seed-containing section of a half fruit, as distinguished from a whole fruit. Specifically, the invention is concerned with means for severing the core of half pears, wherein'each half pear is formed by splitting or cutting a whole pear along a plane passing through the stem axis of the pear so that the half pear is provided with a flat cut face. By reference to the drawings, the particular type of when the pear is out in half they are in the form of a relatively narrow, semi-cylindrical tube so that the portion 55 of the coring cutter on rotation will remove these threads simultaneously and integrally with the removal of the core proper 53 which is of larger diameter. Since it is desirable also to remove the blossom or calyx of the half pear during the coring operation, and since the blossom or calyx sometimes lies off center of the pear, the portion 49 of the cutter is flared outwardly from the portion 59 whereby on rotation of the cutter about substantially the stem axis of the pear as hereinafter described this semicylindrical flared portion 49 will remove the calyx or blossom irrespective of whether the blossom is directly on center or is off center.

Inasmuch as no threads are present in the pear between the calyx or blossom and the core proper 53, the wall of the cutter curves inwardly as at 59 to a point of minimum radius from the stem axis which permits the flared blossom or calyx cutter to be formed as an integral part of the core and thread cutter while at the same time permitting the removal of the very minimum flesh of the pear between the core proper and the calyx or blossom upon rotation of the coring cutter, and likewise permits, upon said rotation, the formation and discharge from the processed half pear of a one-piece core consisting of the core proper integrally joined to the calyx or blossom by a narrow neck of pulp or pear flesh at one end of the core proper and by a relatively narrow. relatively long, half cylindrical body of tough threads integrally joined to the core proper and extending therefrom to the very end of the stem end of the pear.

It will be borne in mind that in the process of this machine, prior to the half pear arriving at the coring station it will have been bobbed, as indicated at 51, at one of the prior stations so that the stem and a portion of the neck and connecting threads have been severed cleanly there from and at right angles to the stem axis of the half pear.

The outer end 59 of the coring cutter is preferably rounded for rotating in the bearing 42 of the member 40. This lug contains a tapped opening 58 and provides a journal member for the foremost end of the coring blade. A cap 59 is secured to the end of'the journal by means of a screw and coacts with the pinion 45 as an abutment for the end thrust of the assembly. The

longitudinal axis of the coring knife 41 through-; out its length is sharpened so that on rotation of the coring blade substantially about the stem axis 5! of the pear, the blade'will form a continuous semicylindrical out about the stem axis of the half pear at the cut face of the half fruit, which semicylindrical cavity is coextensive with the longitudinal axis of the cut face of the half fruit for the purpose of removing the undesired core portions, stem and blossom of the half fruit as hereinbefcre described.

Extending radially from the sleeves 30 are lugs 50. These lugs lie in a direction parallel to the operating axis of the paring instrumentality. Similar lugs 6| are positioned on bearing members 30 ninety degrees from and below the first mentioned. lugs, These lugs 69 and BI serve as stops alternately to about a stem 62 presented in the arcuate path of travel, said stem being sup-' ported by a bracket 63 bolted to the horizontal frame bar l4.

On opposed annular beveled faces 64 of the gears '26 are provided two independent arcs 65 and 66 of gear teeth. The sleeves 30 are contiguously disposed and are of a length measurably to position pinions 35 and 45 in mesh with gear trains 66 and 65 respectively.

Stationarily positioned in the center of the machine proper is a block 61 about a vertical shaft 68 which may rotate therein. To block 61 a bracket 69 is secured by studs 19. A cross-bar H at the end of bracket 69 provides a rest for spindles 32. Similarly disposed on block 61 and arranged to extend horizontally therefrom at an angle ninety degrees from the first mentioned bracket is a second bracket [2 bearing a cross arm 13. The frictional engagement of shaft 44 with hearing 93 is such that the pinion 45 and shoulder 34 do not rotate during certain operations. Therefore the fruit and core and coring instrumentality are carried upwardly and about shaft 25 approximately ninety degrees until stop 6| strikes stop 62, all as will be hereinafter more fully pointed out.

At the right end of 25 a pinion 14 engages a like pinion 15, the rotating axis of the latter being ninety degrees to the former. The pinion I5 is mounted on a shaft 16, The shaft 16 is journaled in bearings 11 provided by short arms '18 which are bolted to the legs II and 12. Gears T! are keyed on the shaft '16 to rotate therewith. The beveled faces 19 on said gears 11 are opposed and are each rifled with an arc 89 of gear teeth. Intermediate the gears 11' are friction gear boxes 8|. These boxes 8! are rotatably disposed upon the shaft 16 by virtue of bearings 82. The bearings 82 are coextensive with the space between the beveled gears 11'. Immediately above bearings 82 and normal thereto are bearings 83 carrying a spindle 84 on which is keyed a pinion 85. Pinion 85 engages gear teeth 80 and coacts with a collar 86 to retain the journaled position of the stub shaft or spindle 84.

A scavenging means is provided on the spindle 84, specifically in the form of a flat, leaf-like member 81 riveted or otherwise fastened thereto and placed exactly over the recesses l9a in the fruit holders or cups IS. The peripheral edge of these scavenging members 81' is such as to sweep out the inner walls of the cavities 19a when rotated about the axis of the shafts 84. No claim herein is made to the specific means per se for operating the scavenging means 81, since that subject matter is disclosed and claimed in an application filed by me on January 21, 1935, Serial No, 2,620, which has matured into Patent No. 2,210,910 granted Aug. 13, 1940, the same being an improvement over the scavenging device disclosed and claimed in my prior Patent No. 1,989,090, issued January 29, 1935.

Lugs 88 and 89 are placed at ninety degree intervals on bearings 82 to collide with a cross piece 90 on a boss 9! secured to the frame member l5. Limited rotative movement of the sleeves 82 about shaft 19 is thereby attained. The inner and extended ends of the stems 84 strike the abutment l5 simultaneous to the contact of the lugs 88 with top 99, thus to carry the weight of the spindles and eliminate the shock otherwise absorbed by said lugs.

A small gear 93 is keyed to shaft 16 and contiguous to the bearing near the forward side of the machine. A set-off sleeve 94 coacting with a set screw 95 serves to prevent axial displacement of the pinion 93. Below the assembly just described and attached to the leg H is a guide standard 98 functioning to keep the teeth of a that the peel is transported upwardly by said scavenging blades.

A ninety degree rotation of the sleeves 82 brings the lugs 89 against the bar 90 to prevent 1 member l5 by means of screws I I2.

After the pins 89 strik the bar 90, the rack 91 continues its upward movement to cause the gears 11' to rotate the pinions 85 and the scavenging blades 81 one hundred eighty degrees before the next downward stroke, to carry the spindles 84 in registry with the succeeding pair of cups, has started. Since shafts 25 and 16 are operated from the identical source of power, the stems 32 and 16a may be mad to rise and fall in unison or in timed relation. One may be made to operate at a greater speed than the other by changing the gear ratios. The cam driving the cam follower llll is fixed at a given rotative position on the main operating shaft 98 so that the coring devices and peel scavenging instrumentalities operate on material within the cups 19 while the turret is at a standstill, and discharge the fruit and peels respectively therefrom intermediate successive progressive quadrantal shifts of the turret spider l6.

The present device for removing the core from a fruit has advantages over preceding coring equipment in that it is exceptionally rugged of construction and exceedingly simple of structure for a device performing a task so arduous. It has the added advantage of effectively coring the fruit and removing the threads and also the blossom.

It will thus be seen that upon rotation of the coring cutter or blade, I am enabled to core a half fruit by the very simple process of forming a single continuous line of cut starting at the cut face of the half fruit on one side of the stem axis of the half fruit, which line of cut is coextensive and substantially concentric with the longitudinal stem axis at the cut face of the half fruit, and that such line of cut is formed arcuately substantially about the stem axis as a center of turning; that said line of out is simultaneously formed coextensively with the stem axis of the fruit and at varying radii along the stem axis of the fruit from said stem axis; that due to the variation in such radii along the length of said stem axis, by the formation of this arcuate line of out which terminates at the cut face of the half fruit on the opposite side of the stem axis, I am enabled simultaneously to sever the core proper of the half pear, the adjoining threads extending from the core proper to the stem end of the fruit and also the blossom or calyx of the fruit, irrespective of whether or not the calyx is off center, and this is accomplished with the very minimum removal of edible flesh from the half fruit, and in a manner to form a symmetrical, semi-cylindrical groove of varying shape in th cut face of the half fruit, which gives a pleasing and trim appearance in the ultimately processed half fruit.

In addition, by causing the half pear to rotate or turn in a direction parallel and simultaneously with the formation of the coring cut, the coring operation is effected in a much shorter interval of time. Furthermore, by this process the cored half fruit is discharged from its holding means, to wit, the cup, and in addition the cored portion together with the blossom end is discharged likewise from the cup.

The present application is restricted to process and product claims, and is related to my pending application Serial No. 746,952, filed October 5, 1934, entitled Coring device, which has matured into Patent No. 2,282,326 granted May 12, 1942, the claims of which are restricted to the coring blade per se as an article of manufacture. The present application is likewise related to my Patent No. 2,072,103, issued March 2, 1937, the claims of which patent are limited to the process of forming the coring blade.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A method of coring half pear having a calyx, a core proper section, and a stem thread section extending from the core proper to the stem end, which comprises cutting a section which is semicylindrical in cross section in a direction transverse to the stem axis and which is substantially elliptical longitudinally of the stem axis to remove the core proper from the half pear, while cutting a substantially semicylindrical section of relatively smaller radius about the stem thread section of the half pear and extending from the core proper section to the stem end of the half' pear, while simultaneously cutting a substantially conical section about the calyx to remove the same fromthe half pear, and while cutting a semicylindrical restricted channel in the half pear between the calyx and core proper and substantially concentric about the stem axis of the half pear whereby to form a single, semicylindrical, continuous channel of varying width and depth along its length, which channel approximates in shape the natural shape of the calyx, the core proper and the stem thread section.

2. A method of coring half pear having a seed-containing section, a stem thread section and a calyx section, which comprises cutting into the fiat surface of the half pear along a line having a straight portion spaced a minimum uniform distance from the stem axis of the half pear for a distance coextensive with the stern thread section, and having an outwardly curved portion coextensive with the core proper section, and having a second outwardly curved portion of smaller radius coextensive with the calyx section, and having a further portion connecting said outwardly curved portions and proximate to but not lying in the core axis, and severing the body of the half pear along a surface generated by the rotation of said line substantially concentrically about the stem axis as a center, to form a continuous channel of semicircular cross section transverse to the stem axis and extending from end to end of the half pear.

3. The herein described process of treating half fruit having its stern axis lying in the plane of the cut face thereof which comprises supporting the half fruit about its curved surfaces, leaving the cut face exposed, while rotating a cutting edge in one direction substantially concentrically about and coextensive with the stem axis of the half fruit, and simultaneously rotating the half fruittabout saidstemiaxis but-in an opposite direction,

4. The herein described process of treating half fruit having its stem axis lyingv in the the plane of the cut face thereof which; comprises supporting a halffruit about its curved surfaces,

vleaving the cut face exposed, revolving a cutter substantially concentrically about and coextensive with the stem axis of the half fruit-to form a semi-cylindrical coring out about the stem axis of the half fruit, and revolving the half fruit about said-stem axis substantially toinvert the half fruit while sosupported.

5. The herein described process of treatin a half pear having its stem axis lying in the plane of its cut face which comprises rotatably supporting the half pear about its .stemaxis; forming a semi-cylindrical line of severance substantially concentricallyabout substantially the stem axis of the half pear, the line of severance longitudinally of the stem axis conforming ingeneral to the shape of the stemthread section and core proper section respectively, and .turning the half pear about its stem axis substantially to invert the, half pear.

6. The herein described method of treating half fruit having its stem axis lying in the plane of its cut face which comprises rotatably supporting the half fruit about its stem axis, forming a line of cut substantially concentrically about the stem axis as alongitudinal axis, the lineof out being formed coextensive withthe .stem axis of the half fruit and beginningyand ending atthe cut face of the half fruit, and turning the half fruit substantially about its stem axis whereby substantially to invert it.

7. The herein described method of treating half fruit having its stem axis lying intheplane of its cut face which comprises r0tatab1y;supporting the half fruit'about its stem axis, forming a line of .cut substantially concentrically about the stem axis as a longitudinal axis, the line of out being .formed coextensive with the stem-axis of the half fruit and beginning and ending at the cutface of the half fruit, while turning the half fruit substantially about its stem axis whereby substantially to invert it.

8. The herein described method of coring a half pearhaving its'stem axis lying in-theplane of its cut face which comprises applying a; cutter having a cutting surface-coextensive'swith the stem axis of the half; PGfiIJEOrOI'lBESldBT of. the stem axis at the cut face of the-half-peamand 5 rotating the cutter ;andthe. half 1 pear wsimultaneously and substantially concentrically: about the stem axis of the .rhalf; pear whereby .towcore the half pear.

-9. Theherein described method-:oftreatingm half pear having its---stem.-.axis lyinginzt-heiplane of its cutface which vcomprisessupporting :aa

half pear about:its-'curvedsurfaces' to .-permit the pear :to be rota-ted -substantiailymoncentri- :cally about its-stem-'-axis, cutting into;the 'cut face of the-pearlaterally: of the stem; axis .-of the half pear, producinglrelativeJrotation rbeitween the half pear: and the cutting meanssabout the stem axis as ,an axis -=Whereby to core the half pear and 1 whereby to --shiftnt-he half pear substantially to ainverted position, and :boclily projecting the inverted 1 half; .pearwlateral,ly. from its; substantially inverted position.

10. The herein :described 'methodzof treating a half fruit having its -stem ;ax-is :lying iin :the

1 plane of its cutface-whichs,compriseswsupporting the half fruit about its -,curved surfaces 'lWith its out face:exposed-and;in a-nianner tsozeasgto permit the half fruitatoi be rotated -,su-bstantiaily about its stem axis passing :through :the plane of the cut-face 0fthe half-fruit,rremovingihe central seed-containing section:;ofrthe:half:fruit, turning the half fruit substantially uconcentrlvcally about saidaxis substantially to; invert the half fruit, and thereafter yprojecting i-the shalt fruit laterally :from said rsubstantially inverted position.

11. The herein described method-of 'treating a half fruit having its :stem naxis lying in --the plane of its!cutrfaceiwhichrcomprises supporting 10 a half fruit; about :its curved surfaces with its cut face uppermost, "removing. the central seed containing ,section of theyhalf fruit, turning the half fruit substantiall concentrically about a diainetral axis lying substantiall in the' plane of the ;cut:face :of ethe ihalf 'fruit substantially to-invert the;-half fruit, and-.-pro3'ecting =the' half fruit-qand itstcentralaseed containing section-lat- :erally.

:MARK 

